The fact that Dune: Prophecy actually released is still shocking to me. There was a lot of behind the scenes changes to a point where the shows future was in question. At first, the show was slot to start, but easily picked up the pace as we continued. The first season has concluded, and overall I had a good time watching the story unfold. However, it’s not without its faults. Let’s dive in.
The Cast Of Dune: Prophecy
One of the more interesting things in the Dune universe is the Bene Gesserit. Who exactly are they? I love how in the 2 Dune films, there is a lot of mystery surrounding their presence and the importance of them. Dune: Prophecy follows 2 sisters whose entire goal is to get a sister on the throne. Game Of Thrones much? Exactly, and I will say I appreciate it. A story of power and corruption is always a compelling one. At times, these 6 episodes had some slow moments, but I never got bored. I do personally wish we got more episodes to flesh out certain characters and story lines. We could have seen more story lines and characters if this was the case.
Emily Watson as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen is easily the best part of the show. Her presence and the layers to her character make her very fascinating to watch. I love the backstory to her and her sister as well. We see one crucial point alters their path greatly. Valya is not all good, but not at all evil. She falls in that grey area, which makes it all the more entertaining to see what she will do. Her characters always felt determined to finish the mission she was tasked years ago, and she would do anything to complete it. I appreciate shows that make me root for someone who isn’t all good. We are suppose to root for the good guy, but who really is good here?
Emily Watson as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen
Another highlight from the season is the sets, and world building. I love all the new locations we visited. We recognize the names of the royal houses we follow. That being said, we don’t know these characters, it’s all new territory for fans maybe not familiar with the books this is based off of. It’s all a chess game, each player has a role to play, but who will win? The show isn’t perfect, some moments felt rushed, or not enough time was spent on certain events unfolding. I wanted to learn more about particular characters. Another issue with only six episodes is that we can’t spend time getting to know some of the players involved here. We learn the basics and move on because we have story to get to. If I learned more about some of the lesser known characters. Then maybe I would care more when the story progresses.
Mark Strong delivered a great performance as Padishah Emperor Javicco Corrino. Strong played the character with great balance. Javicco tried to be reasonable during the chaos unfolding around him. However, he was being persuaded to be more ruthless and not trying to find the balance. I loved each scene he was in, he elevated each one. Most of the performances worked here, with the occasional recurring role being decent. The main cast all worked, and helped the show be elevated. Even if a scene is fine, a lot of the performances made them work. Some dialogue felt lackluster or generic in some instances. It’s a weird contrast when there are some amazing moments between characters going a long side these other decent moments.
Mark Strong as Padishah Emperor Javicco Corrino
Dune: Prophecy sets up Season 2 in an interesting way. There is some clear indications where we go from here, but also I wouldn’t be surprised if they have more in store that wasn’t teased in anyway. I could see this series continue for a while, as long as the story lines are compelling and worth telling. My only ask is to please either pack more in each episode or to give us a longer span of episodes. Six seems too small, and I didn’t want to leave this world as fast as I did. Thankfully, we have another season confirmed. If we didn’t get another season, then I would have felt like I wasted my time. Not because I didn’t enjoy watching the show, but this season clearly is setting up so much more down the road.
Dune: Prophecy Season 1 is available to watch on Max now.